Lotfeeding

‘One percenters’ add up for 2024 ALFA Feedlot of the Year winners

Jon Condon 18/10/2024

Cattle on feed at the Teys Condamine yard on Queensland’s western Darling Downs – one of the winners in ALFA’s 2024 Feedlot of the Year competition

IT’S those small details – the ‘one percenters’ – that have helped define the winners of the Australian Lot Feeders Association’s 2024 Feedlot of the Year Awards, announced during the BeefEx grainfed industry conference in Brisbane this week.

Three category winners encompassing smaller, medium-sized and large feedyards from Central and Southern Queensland and New South Wales were crowned in the 2024 competition, announced before a conference dinner audience of 700 stakeholders on Wednesday night.

The awards have been presented at the biennial BeefEx conference each year since 1991.

One of the evolving features noted among some of the winners this year was the provision of more on-site accommodation for staff – a growing trend across the lotfeeding industry, especially in the face of more offshore labour being utilised, and labour challenges in general.

This year’s winners (details set out below) were:

  • Less than 8000 head: Herbert family, Gundamain feedlot, Eugowra NSW (finalist, Macquarie Downs feedlot, Leyburn Qld)
  • 8000-15,000 head: Conaghan family, Barmount feedlot, Central Qld (finalist: Hancock Agriculture, Gunnee feedlot, Delungra NSW)
  • +15,000 head: Teys Condamine feedlot, Darling Downs Qld (finalist: Smithfield Cattle Co Sapphire feedlot Goondiwindi).

This year’s head judge, respected former Lilyvale feedlot manager and former ALFA councillor Des Rinehart, said the level of investment seen in technology, data capture, management and utilisation,  environmental management and staff retention was a standout this year in all competing feedlots.

The competition involved two judging rounds – the first conducted by AUSMeat in conjunction with each feedlot’s annual NFAS audit, based on verifying entrants’ responses to their online self-assessment questionnaire. Finalists chosen from those results progressed to a second round, providing the opportunity to further demonstrate what sets their feedlot apart to an independent judging panel via a feedlot visit by the judging panel.

Teys Condamiune feedlot general manager Phillip Lambert collects the 2024 Feedlot of the Year award from head judge Des Rinehart, left, and ALFA vice president Tom Green. Click on images for a larger view.

+15,000 head winner: Teys Condamine

Teys Australia’s 30,000 head Condamine feedlot on Queensland’s western Darling Downs was established 35 years ago, but continues to evolve with the times.

Since its establishment in 1989, the facility performs a key role in the Teys grainfed beef supply chain through the production of quality grain finished cattle for both domestic and export markets.

Part of a network of three Teys commercial yards along with Charlton (VIC) and Jindalee (NSW), Teys Condamine  employs a close-knit crew of 35, with behaviours and teamwork an integral part of day-to-day operations.

Feedlot general manager Phil Lambert said he felt the areas that distinguished the yard during judging this year included early adoption of technology designed to improve efficiencies and energy use across the yard, and people management.

About 70-80pc of feedlot staff are now housed in Teys’ own accommodation on-site, located some 30km west of Condamine.

“Instead of a mining/energy camp type environment, we’ve tried to make it a homely cabin setting,” Mr Lambert said. “With the current housing crisis, it’s been a real drawcard for staff to our yard. It’s given us an edge when the need arises to attract new staff.”

A core senior management group – some with 20 years or more experience at the yard – were responsible for progressing the young workforce.

“Over the past 35 years, Condamine has been one of the industry’s true early-adopters areas like steam-flaking in grain processing, provision of shade in all pens and processing areas, and the use of batch-boxes to improve efficiency in the feed preparation and delivery process,” Mr Lambert told Beef Central.

The yard was an early adopter of solar power in the feedlot industry, with the site constructing a 300 kW Solar PV in 2017 (see earlier report). Since commissioning of the solar array, up to 70pc of daily power usage now comes through solar generation on site.

Teys Condamine feedlot manager Phillip Lambert and a staffmember in front of a small port of the yard’s 1034 panel solar array.

“For us, progress includes a continuous drive to reduce our energy and water requirements every day,” Mr Lambert said. “Whether it be through one of our two solar PV units, improvements to our boiler to use less gas, or the water and utility metering systems, the Condamine team is continually striving to improve our sustainable operations.”

“Our focus on retaining a strong and healthy environment in which we operate is grounded in minimising negative environmental impacts and protecting natural ecosystems.”

In areas like biosecurity, the yard has constructed an exclusion fence around the feedlot perimeter to manage feral pigs – a major problem to the environment and community in the area. Through the construction of the fence, Condamine has been able to greatly reduce the local feral pig population which has aided in ensuring waterways and other environmentally sensitive areas are maintained.

Feeders are a mixture of 100 day to 150 day midfed cattle, both Angus types and crossbreds, with a wide supply catchment stretching from Central Queensland to well into NSW. Somewhat unusually, cattle exiting from the yard can go in one of four directions, depending on seasons and local cattle flows – Teys Rockhampton, Teys Biloela, Teys Beenleigh or Teys Wagga in NSW. Even on a weekly basis, cattle could be sent to three of those processing sites, Mr Lambert said.

Condamine’s sister yard at Jindalee won the previous Lotfeeder of the Year award back in 2021.

Click here to read the Teys entry in Beef Central’s Top 25 Lotfeeders report published earlier.

 

The Conaghan family collecting their Feedlot of the Year award – Phil and wife Lynise, with sons Andrew and Regan and daughter Tessa with ALFA vice president Tom Green. Click on images for a larger view  

8000-15,000 head winners: Barmount feedlot, Clarke Creek Qld

The 10,000 head Barmount Station Feedlot near Clarke Creek in Central Queensland is one of Australia’s most northerly grain-feeding facilities. It claimed this year’s Feedlot of the Year award for yards 8000-15,000 head at its first attempt in the competition.

The Conaghan family recently celebrated their 75th anniversary at Barmount, with Phil’s father Bob establishing the feedlot in the 1990s. It was the eighth feedlot in Australia to be accredited under the National Feedlot Accreditation Scheme.

In 2021 Phil Conaghan and wife Lynise took over sole ownership of Barmount from Phil’s father Bob, which coincided with the return of their three adult children to the business. The next generation Andrew (an IT and business consultant by trade), Tessa (livestock manager) and Regan (civil engineer, currently overseeing the feedmill expansion) each have unique and diverse roles in the business. In addition to the family, Barmount employs a crew of 16 staff.

Due to the site’s geographical location, Barmount staff live and work on-site, with the nearest town to more than 100km away. For this reason Barmount may be one of the few feedlots in the country to employ a ‘station cook.’

Bought feeder cattle are mostly export or domestic weights sold into JBS Rockampton, plus a proportion of custom-feeding for other clients. All of the yard’s silage requirements are grown on surrounding cultivation.

Innovation was a key feature noted by judges in Barmount’s entry. The yard is one of very few in Australia that tempers feedgrain with hot water, and the business has invested in a feedlot and cattle management software business called Livestock Junction.

“We’ve refined our practices that focus primarily on manure management, animal health and nutrition, farming practices, upgrading equipment to reduce energy consumption and engagement with our local communities and stakeholders,” Lynise told Beef Central.

“This will benefit not only the environment, but our operational efficiency and reputation. It is also important to us that we continue to track our progress and identify areas for improvement, keeping us accountable and demonstrating our commitment to sustainability,” she said.

Carbon assessment

In the area of environmental management, Barmount has recently worked with carbon consultants Integrity Ag to undertake a baseline carbon assessment, which has provided valuable information about the feedlot, as well as the business’s backgrounding and cropping emissions which has assisted in the further development of emission reduction strategies.

In the area of animal welfare, staff are extensively trained by experienced professionals including visiting feedlot vets and nutritionists to promptly identify and care for cattle under respiratory challenge.

Training in low-stress handling techniques is mandatory for all livestock staff to ensure cattle are managed calmly and respectfully. Regular team meetings and weekly check-ins ensure all staff members are aligned on health and performance goals, and that everyone remains informed about the latest animal welfare practices.

A rigorous health monitoring program overseen by trained staff is maintained, including daily pen health checks, mandatory vaccinations, and prompt treatment of any illnesses or injuries.

The Conaghans are presently expanding their steamflake milling capacity, providing opportunity for future expansion if required.

Given its northernly location, Barmount feeds more indicus-influenced cattle than many yards further south, requiring a somewhat different approach to stock management.

“Brahman cattle are smarter and think differently, I believe, and require a slightly different approach and challenge in the yard,” Phil Conaghan said.

 

Andrew and Tess Herbert and their daughter and son-in law Caitlin and Ed Thomas, collecting their award from head judge Des Rinehart

Less than 8000 head division winners: Gundamain feedlot

Andrew and Tess Herbert have been lotfeeding cattle at their Gundamain feedlot near Eugowra in NSW since 1991, as part of a vertically integrated beef/sheep/grain business.

The present day yard with a capacity of 6000 head was completed in 2001. They previously earned ALFA Feedlot of the Year awards in 2014 and 2021.

Predominantly Angus cattle are fed a specially formulated ration to ensure cattle achieve high health and optimal performance. Every pen in the yard has shade access, with livestock monitored daily by the livestock team.

Gundamain buys in trade steers and heifers at 350-440kg, with a barley-based rations sourced primarily from local suppliers.

In accepting the 2024 award, Tess Herbert reflected on the severe flood experienced in the local Eugowra area in 2022, and the long road to recovery. She said the flood episode had affected not only the feedlot business itself, but its staff and suppliers.

“It makes me think about the impact all feedlots have in their local communities,” Ms Herbert said.

 

 

 

 

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